By: Kay Rivera
There is no doubt that our athletes continue to amaze us both on and off the Turf. The persistence, motivation, and stamina to reach their goals is inspirational.
One of these inspirations is athlete Edward Ngui, one of our Muscle Build Challenge winners. Ed did not dare to stop after his initial nutrition victory – he just set his sights on his next goal instead. He has taken advantage of all pillars of the Tone House Training experience to go from lifting novice to hitting PRs left and right. He shares his experience below:
Fitness/Athletic Background:
- None, occasionally shooting basketball in the park, or playing baseball with my cousins. Occasional weight lifting here and there but otherwise no athletic background/ any fitness background.
How long have you been coming to Tone House, what made you first decide to start training at Tone House?
- A group of us at work were doing a weight-loss competition in June 2019 that ended 3 months later, it kind of propelled me into fitness. A different co-worker who wasn’t part of the challenge told me about Tone House. She took me to my first class early November 2019. Haven’t stop coming to the House since.
What originally inclined you to sign up for the Muscle Build Challenge?
- I always love a challenge. After being an overweight person for most of my life – I lost weight during that challenge following Ryan’s guidance. I wanted to be bigger again, but a different big – muscular, etc – kind of wanted to look like The Rock–lol. I thought this was the perfect place to start and go from there.
What were some notable observations from the start to the end of the Challenge?
- At the end of the Muscle Build Challenge, I noticed my physique had somewhat changed, my muscles felt fuller (if it makes sense). I felt stronger.
After completing the Challenge, what new goals did you set for yourself?
- I continued this build challenge on my own from the knowledge that I gained talking with Ryan and what I did during – Since this whole weight-lifting is kind of new to me, I continue to work on the technique and very slowly increase the weights while I build confidence.
What does your training week look like now?
- Usually I do 2-3 strength classes/ week and 1-2 conditioning classes/ week – plus my 2 personal training sessions with Coach James.
Have you faced any challenges during your goal attainment?
- Yes – trying to find time between my busy work day to eat – finding time to eat in between breakfast/lunch.
How have you prevailed through the challenges?
- I tried my best to set up an eating schedule – tried to pack snacks that I can easily — how do I put this politely – shove quickly down my face in 2 mins before going back to work. Sleeping/resting was also my biggest and still my biggest challenge moving forward.
What keeps you motivated while training at the House?
- Other athletes, the amazing work they do. The teamwork, the camaraderie, I always try to do better than what I did previously if I am able to. Kind of sadistic, but looking forward to the cold blooded program that is installed for the day..haha. Shout out to all the coaches, who kept me motivated/ pushing me to my limits and most importantly their guidance
Any words of encouragement to your fellow athletes?
- Don’t be afraid to fail. It may not work out initially, but if you keep working, taking small steps, you will get there.